Sergej Jensen’s work draws on a wide range of materials and formal references. Primarily known for his textile works, his lyrical compositions incorporate a variety of fabrics, from burlap and linen to silk and wool.

He recently exhibited his work in the show "Classic" at Regen Projects, and his work is also included in LACMA's show "Variations: Conversations in and around Abstract Painting.”

Chen Tamir is a distinguished Israeli curator and art writer based in Tel Aviv, where she works at the Center for Contemporary Art. She was listed by Artslant as one of 15 curators to watch in 2015. Until recently she was based in New York working as an independent curator and also as Executive Director of Flux Factory, a non-profit arts center in Queens, NY, where she founded an acclaimed residency program and set up a thriving institution. Chen holds an M.A. from Bard College's Center for Curatorial Studies, a B.A. in Anthropology, and a B.F.A. in Visual Art from York University.

Rea Tajiri is a New York based filmmaker and educator who has written and directed an eclectic body of dramatic, experimental, and documentary films currently in commercial and educational distribution. She is also an Associate Professor at Temple University in the Film Media Arts Department.

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Public Art from Meg Cranston and Roy Dowell commandeers billboards for the Hammer Museum’s Made in L.A. 2012; Suzanne Lacy’s Crystal Quilt at London’s Tate Modern.

LOS ANGELES, CA, July 31, 2012 - Work by three distinguished artists from Otis College of Art and Design can be viewed currently at the Tate Modern Gallery, Hammer Museum, and on billboards above the streets of Los Angeles.

Meg Cranston (Chair, Fine Arts) and Roy Dowell (Chair, Graduate Fine Arts) were selected to participate in the Hammer Museum’s first large-scale biennial survey of the work of sixty Los Angeles-based artists, Made in L.A. 2012. In addition to the exhibition, on view at the Hammer Museum through September 2, both artists were invited to produce public art billboards on a well-trafficked Los Angeles street.

Roy Dowell's billboard, on display during July on the east side of La Cienega Blvd between Venice and Washington Blvds, is produced by LA><ART Public Art Initiatives and ForYourArt - Los Angeles Public Domain (LAPD). Roy’s collages are inspired by design, advertising, and popular and world cultures. Although he uses abstract elements, Dowell draws from the representational and specific. The billboard recycles scraps of old billboards, combining the languages of public art and large-scale advertising, while connecting the sources and visual elements to his thirteen sculptures on display at the Hammer.

In August, Meg Cranston will create a billboard displayed at the same location. “For my first billboard,” she explains, “I did a version of my work in Made in L.A. 2012 at the Hammer. To have the image (of multiple cigarettes lighters) in two places makes it like an ad campaign. The question is what am I advertising? I suppose “real” advertisements work in a similar way. What is pictured is often only metaphorically related to the product being sold. Puppies can be used to sell toilet paper or an image of a beautiful woman to sell snow tires. To me the lighters have poetic resonance but I will let the audience decide.”

LA><ART’s contribution to Made in L.A. is “This is a Takeover! A Ten-Year Survey of Slanguage.” Slanguage, the internationally renowned artists’ collective co-founded by Otis alumnus Mario Ybarra, Jr., produced an interactive installation along with public events and performances that take place through September. Heralded by the L.A. Times as a “rare institution that successfully straddles the community and mainstream art worlds,” Slanguage focuses on art education, community-building, and interactive exhibitions to cultivate relationships between diverse artists, students, communities, and organizations.

The Crystal Quilt, by pioneering activist and artist Suzanne Lacy (Chair, Graduate Public Practice), has been recreated for London’s Tate Modern, July 18-October 28, for the inaugural exhibition of 'The Tanks' at the Tate Modern, designed by Swiss architectural duo Herzog & de Meuron. The new space, a series of recycled underground concrete oil tanks, opened to the public as part of the current London 2012 Festival in conjunction with the Cultural Olympiad.

The original Crystal Quilt (1987) took place in Minneapolis where Lacy gathered 430 women over the age of 60 to share their views on growing older. The resulting performances, broadcast live on television, were attended by more than 3,000 people. The Crystal Quilt at Tate Modern combines the original elements of performance, activism, and broadcast in an ambitious work fusing social responsibility with the power of aesthetics. Lacy plans to update this groundbreaking piece with ‘granny flash mobs,’ a performance piece that celebrates the achievements of older women in Britain.

About Otis

Established in 1918, Otis College of Art and Design is a national leader in art and design education. The College mission is to prepare diverse students of art and design to enrich our world through their creativity, skill, and vision. Alumni and faculty are Fulbright, MacArthur, and Guggenheim grant recipients, Oscar awardees, legendary costume designers, leaders of contemporary art movements, and design stars at Apple, Abercrombie & Fitch, Pixar, DreamWorks, Mattel, Nike, and Disney.

The five-acre main campus is located on L.A.’s Westside near the beach and LAX; Fashion Design is in the heart of the downtown fashion district; and the Graduate Studios are on the Creative Corridor in nearby Culver City and in the 18th Street Arts Center in Santa Monica.

2,700 adults and children participate in Continuing Education art and design classes and workshops.